VADE-MECUM of the Speakers - European Ideas Network

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6 Mahmoud el MAY MP, National Constituent Assembly, Tunisia Born in 1959 and residing in France, Mahmoud El May is a Member of the National Constitutional Assembly, elected at the top of the list for the South of France on PDP’s (Parti Démocrate Progressiste) ticket. Being the son of a diplomat, Mahmoud El May was brought up in various countries throughout Europe and the Middle East, helping him gain a wide knowledge of various political regimes. Following the events of the 14th January, the fifty year old engineer felt the need to become further involved in politics, with the aim of joining the Constitutional Assembly which represents the first step towards a veritable democracy in Tunisia. In his eyes, the Tunisians of France should be represented in all future institutions of the country. He is convinced that persons holding dual nationality should be able to present themselves for higher duties, a right which until now has been denied. Mahmoud El May has therefore decided to become the voice of all Tunisians living abroad. According to him, there should not be any differences between one Tunisian and another, and it is this important factor that he intends to fight for, within the constitutional assembly. Following the start of his work within the Assembly in November 2011, he now divides his time between parliamentary sessions in Tunis and meetings with delegates in his constituency, leaving precious little time for his work as an engineer. Farid GHADRI, President, Syria Reform Party Initiative for Public Policy Analysis As a native Syrian and elected leader of the Reform Party of Syria, Farid Ghadry has dedicated his life to reforms in the Arab world. His intimate knowledge of the people and the politics of the region have been gained through firsthand experience. Mr. Ghadry was born in Aleppo in northern Syria and grew up between Aleppo, Damascus, Riyadh, and Beirut. He comes from a prominent Syrian family that included many politicians and civil servants. In 1982, Mr. Ghadry became a US citizen. Today, Mr. Ghadry is a businessman. Mr. Ghadry visited Dachau outside Munich at the age of 13 where he learned about the history of the Holocaust after being taught to hate Jews. Seeing Dachau was a life changing experience for him. At the age of 17, he was arrested by the Syrian intelligence in Zabadani, outside Damascus and imprisoned for civil disobedience. To this day, Mr. Ghadry is still pursued by the Syrian intelligence from this incident in 1971. At the age of 34, he was beaten with a cane by the Saudi religious police because he refused to pray in a Mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All these experiences, and because of oppression in Arab countries, have given Mr. Ghadry the impetus to become more involved in changing the Middle East. His Vision for Syria Mr. Ghadry believes that Syria’s political system is a breeding ground for terrorism. Peaceful transition to democracy is the answer. Syria needs to strike peace with Israel supported fully by both the Syrian and the Israeli people. For Syria to succeed, it must become the beacon for tolerance and acceptance in the Arab world. Mr. Ghadry also champions economic and political reforms that can bring prosperity to offset against the rise of fanaticism and terrorism. His Vision for Reforming Islam Mr. Ghadry believes that because Damascus has a very important history as the capital of Sunni Islam, reformed Islam emanating from Damascus will have a great impact on the Levant region. Today, the most important three Islamic universities are educating extreme Islam to our youth. Mr. Ghadry advocates building an Islamic university in Damascus that can play an important role in easing the tensions between civilizations and providing young Muslims with an alternative interpretation of the Holy Koran; one that permits other religions to flourish side-by-side with Muslims. His Work He has testified in the US Congress on extremism and freedom. He also spoke at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Johns Hopkins University (SAIS), Harvard University, University of Virginia, the European Parliament, the French Parliament, the Belgian Senate, and more recently Mr. Ghadry has been invited by the Israeli Knesset to address the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the first Syrian dissident to speak at the Knesset (Assad revoked his Syrian citizenship in 2007 as a result of that visit). He is a member of the Committee on the Present Danger (www.fightingterror.org). He has written several articles and essays on Syria and the politics in the Levant. He is in the process of writing a book on Syria and his experiences as a political leader. Mr. Ghadry is married to Ahlam Ghadry (Lebanese). Together they have four children, Omar, Samer, Kristofer and Dahlia. He has served on several boards of companies and the Board of Trustees of Norwood School in Bethesda, MD. Ahlam is a Board Member of the Visiting Ladies at Children’s Hospital in Washington D.C. Some of His Blogs & Articles “Why I Admire Israel”; “Syria’s Terror Networks”; “Islam is in Danger”; “A Logical Imperative”; “Israel Builds for Nobel Prizes, Arabs Destroy with Suicide Bombers”; “The Arab World is Abu Ghraib” European Ideas Network
European Ideas Network Vade-mecum of the speakers Ferhat MEHENNI, President of the Provisional Government of Kabylia, Algeria Writer, Political Scientist and President of the Provisional Government of Kabyle Born on 5/3/1951 in Kabylie Degree in Political Science (Algiers 1977) Political: Founding member and Leader of the Mouvement Culturel Berbère (1980) Collaborator with the underground magazine/journal “TAFSUT” (Springtime) during the 1980s Founding member and member of the Managing/Executive Committee of the first Algerian League of Human Rights (1985) Founding member of the Association of Children of Martyrs of the National War of Independence (1985) Founding member and National Secretary of Culture and History of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (1989-1993) (RCD) Organiser of a school boycott lasting one year and obtained the first recognition of the Berbère language in Algeria (1994-95) President of the Cultural Movement of Berbère (National Rally) (1995) Spokesman, then President of the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (MAK) (since 2010) He is the first President in the history of the Provisional Government of Kabyle, l’ANAVAD which he established on the 1st of June 2010 in Paris, where he is currently in exile. Political persuasion: Humanist Democratic Political project: Obtain the right to self determination for Kabylie (Algeria) Languages spoken: Kabyle (Berbère), French, English, Arabic. Academic training/background: Degree in Political Science, University of Algeria (1977) Repression: Ferhat Mehenni : - has been arrested 12 times, convicted by the State Court of Security (Algeria 1985) - is the object of a warrant in Algeria since January 2009 - repressed the Algiers injunction on Tunisian soil in December 2009 and again in October 2011 - fights to obtain the truth surrounding the assassination (stabbing) of his eldest son, Ameziane, on the night of the 18th-19th of June 2004 in Paris. Bibliography: “Algeria: The Kabyle Question” - Paris, 2004 Michalon Editions “The age of identity or the end of Post-Colonial States” - Paris, November 2010. Author of a number of reflections on Kabylie (See Google) A number of contributions on the internet and in newspapers on the current affairs and on Kabylie. Useful Internet sites: www.anavad.org www.siwel.info www.makabylie.info www.journaldekabylie.com www.tamurt.info www.journaldekabylie.com 7
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